New Testament – Karen Gamble Writes

Petrify

At one point in my life I felt like I was stuck and unable to move.

I couldn’t pray.

I couldn’t understand any of the Scripture I was reading.

Then the Lord showed me a word:

Petrify.

To make rigid or inert like stone; to make lifeless or inactive (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

To make someone so frightened they are afraid to move. (Google)

That’s when I realized that silent, subtle doubt and fear had snuck into my life and petrified me.

This is what caused me to be stuck – I was paralyzed by fear.

I knew the remedy was to replace fear with faith.

I cried out to the Lord in prayer and asked Him to help me to break free and to show me what to do.

A phrase came to my mind.

“Perfect love casts out fear.” .

I remembered this is a verse from 1 John 4:18–

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV)

You can’t have perfect love and fear at the same time.

A few verses earlier in this chapter it tells us that God is love and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (verse 16)

The answer was clear.

I had to choose God and His love over my fear.

Both can’t occupy the same place at the same time.

So I chose love.

It wasn’t easy.

Fear still tried to come back.

It took a while before I was able to walk without wobbling.

But, little by little, as I kept choosing to trust Him and to choose to trust in His love instead of allowing fear to guide my thoughts, I began to get stronger and braver.

I memorized .2 Timothy 1:7 and repeated it to myself over and over –

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (KJV)

I still have moments when the fear tries to come back.

I still have moments when I am tempted to trust myself instead of God.

But, every time I do, I try to fight it

I try to remember what King David said,

3When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3 (NIV)

This has helped me so much.

When I do this, I can better focus on the Father and my faith walk.

It isn’t always easy.

Sometimes fear shows up hidden in other things – dread, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety – but if I will look at it for what it is, a stumbling block meant to stop me from trusting the Lord, I can better fight against it when it shows up and head it off.

There will be times when I am afraid.

There will be times when I am unsure of things.

But, if I will remember the truth these Scriptures teach us, I will never have to be petrified again.

What about you? Are there fears getting in the way of your faith walk?

Will you choose to let go of the fear and choose to trust God, no matter what?

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. -Jesus John 14:27 (NIV)

Category: Faith, God, New Testament, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT

Why Jesus Was Crucified

There is a passage in the New Testament where the crowds are mocking Jesus while He’s on the cross.

One of the rulers even says to Him, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.” Luke 23:35 (NIV)

They didn’t believe that Jesus was the Son of God.

It is important we understand that Jesus was fully God, as well as fully man, and as such He had the power to prevent the Crucifixion.

He could have called down legions of angels to fight for and protect Him.

He could have killed all the people who were against Him.

But, He didn’t.

Jesus knew He’d come to earth for one reason – to fulfill God’s plan for mankind’s redemption by going to the cross and paying for all sin for all mankind once and for all.

Jesus was perfect and had lived a completely sin-free life.

By being crucified, He was paying for all the sins of all mankind.

He was trading His perfect life, which fulfilled all the law of the Old Testament for the redemption of all the sin-filled lives of every person ever born. .

He knew many would reject Him.

He knew many would not understand.

He also knew many would accept Him and the free pardon of sin He offered.

Jesus went through with the crucifixion because He loved all of mankind past, present, and future and He wanted to ransom each and every person ever born.

Category: death, Faith, God, Jesus, New Testament | LEAVE A COMMENT

Why Easter’s Date Changes

It seems like Easter is never on the same Sunday.

In some years it’s in March and in others it’s in April.

There’s a reason for that.

Not long after Christ died there was disagreement among Christians about when Easter should be celebrated.

Because the original Crucifixion had happened at Passover, many people felt it should be held close to that.

Others felt it wasn’t right to tie a Christian holiday (Easter) to a Jewish one (Passover).

After a lot of arguing the decision was made by the First Council of Nicene to use a set standard to calculate Easter each year.

The standard is that Easter is held on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox.

This is very similar to how Passover is calculated.

Passover typically begins on the evening of the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

There is one big difference, though.

Category: God, Holiday, Jesus, New Testament, Truth | LEAVE A COMMENT

Did Judas Go to Heaven?

One question I’ve seen asked a lot is whether Judas Iscariot went to heaven.

Some say there is no way he could have since he betrayed Jesus.

Others assume he did because the Bible says he regretted what he’d done.

Let’s look at these a little further.

First of all, yes Judas did betray Jesus.

But, at the same time, so did Peter when he denied Christ 3 times before the cock crowed. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75 NIV)

If I am real honest with myself, there are times I betray Jesus, too.

No, I don’t do anything “big” like sending people to kill Him.

But…

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Judas Iscariot

One of the people involved in Christ’s crucifixion was Judas Iscariot.

Judas was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus.

He traveled with Jesus.

He had first-hand experiences and in-person visits with Him.

Unfortunately, Judas didn’t see things from the same point of view as Jesus did.

Part of Judas’ responsibility was to look after the money bag.

Category: Holiday, Jesus, New Testament, People in the Bible | LEAVE A COMMENT

It’s Good Friday

Today is the day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion and the sacrifice He made for us when He died to pay for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God.

⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! ¹⁰For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! –Romans 5:6-10 NIV

If you have not yet trusted Jesus for your salvation, I urge you to take time today to talk to God about your situation.

If you have trusted Him, I encourage you to take time today to reflect on this gift and what it truly means for you.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. John 3:16-17 NIV

For a more complete explanation of Good Friday, please see my post, What Is Good Friday?

You might also like to read my post, What is Holy Week? which gives a more in-depth explanation of why this week is so important.

To learn more about the Easter Season, please visit my Easter page, a compilation of previous Easter and Lent posts.

Category: Holiday, Jesus, New Testament | LEAVE A COMMENT

What Is Good Friday?

Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus and His death on a cross.

Crucifixion was a common way to execute people during the time of the Roman Empire.

It was a very slow and painful way to die, sometimes taking several days.

The person being executed typically died due to exhaustion and asphyxiation.

The night before Jesus died He’d been arrested and taken before the Jewish high priest and elders.

After questioning Him at length, they decided Jesus should die for the sin of blasphemy* because He said He was the Christ, the Son of God.

They took Him to the Roman Governor, Pilate, and asked that he execute Jesus for them – Jewish leaders were not permitted to execute anyone themselves.

Pilate questioned Jesus at length but couldn’t find Him guilty of anything.

When Pilate returned Him to the leaders and elders, stating there was no basis for execution, the leaders told Pilate that Jesus had claimed to be a king and was therefore an enemy of Caesar.

When Pilate asked Jesus if He was the king of the Jews, Jesus said yes.

Category: God, Holiday, Jesus, New Testament, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT

Rightly Dividing Scripture

Rightly dividing the Scriptures is very important to me.

God calls us to it in 2 Timothy 2:15 when he tells us, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)

When I see someone misquote or misapply Scripture I get very concerned for them; I fear they’re being misled by the enemy.

Taking verses out of context or using only part of a Scripture so that it seems to say something different than it’s actual meaning is a favorite tactic of his.

Seeing people fall for it worries me for their sake.

If it happens in person I will typically try to lead the conversation to a place where I can gently and politely correct them without embarrassing them.

If it’s online I typically just let it go.

Either way, I pray for the person, asking God to educate and correct their understanding so they can learn and be closer to Him.

But then –

Category: God, Jesus, New Testament, Scripture Study, Truth | LEAVE A COMMENT

Word of the Year 2020

It’s a New Year.

With it comes a new word.

Each year I choose a word to focus on throughout the year.

Last year my word was resolve. (read that post here)

It came from 1 Corinthians 2:2:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you, except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” (NIV)

Paul was explaining to the Christians in Corinth that he wasn’t interested in material things or fame. He wanted only to share the gospel and lead people to Christ. His only focus was Christ and the importance of the crucifixion.

I spent a good portion of my study and prayer time seeking to better know and understand who Christ is.

I also focused on putting Him first in every situation.

It was hard.

There were times when I failed, had to repent, and start again but I learned so much.

I learned first hand just how much Christ loves us and just how close to us He is, if we will just pay attention.

It was a year of huge growth I am eternally grateful for.

When I was praying and looking through Scripture for 2020’s word I came across John 8:25-30.

Category: Jesus, New Testament | LEAVE A COMMENT

Philippians 4:6-7, Part 2

The Scripture verse Philippians 4:6-7 tells us we are not to be anxious about anything.

It tells us we are to instead humbly present our requests to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving.

Some Bible translations use the word supplication instead of petition.

What exactly does petition/supplication mean?

It means to make a formal request.

Instead of, “Hey, I want you to work on this”, or, “this needs your attention,”, it is a carefully considered request politely and humbly expressed.

We are asking the God of the Universe for something we want or need. Honor, reverence, and respect is required.

We can make requests about any situation, or anything we see, feel, or experience. It doesn’t even have to be for or about us.

In fact, we can, and should, petition for others. 1 Timothy 2:1 tells us “…petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving should be made for all people…” (NIV)

It’s important to remember that petitions should be made in agreement with Scripture.

God will not grant requests that go against His will or His Word.

Consider this verse:

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us ¹⁵And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. ~1 John 5:14-15 (NIV)

Did you catch that? If we ask anything according to His will…

Our petitions must be in agreement with His will.

That’s one of the reasons why knowing what Scripture says is so important.

If we know a request we have doesn’t agree with what Scripture says, we can adjust our petition and/or ourselves to more properly reflect what God’s will is. This puts us in a position to be heard.

Once we know God has heard our request, we can thank Him and trust that He will respond.

It may take a while for the answer to come and/or the situation to change, but we can be sure He is working on it and will bring about the best outcome for all involved.

This is the best response we can hope to receive for any petition we might bring before Him.

What petitions do you want to bring before God today? Will you remember to submit them with thanksgiving?

For further reading

1 Timothy 2:1 …petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people… (NIV)

My post on Philippians 4:6-7
My post on How to Give Thanks

Category: New Testament, Scripture Study | LEAVE A COMMENT